8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Turquoise, Pink, Magneta, etc.).

9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).

* Any book read from January 1 through December 31, 2012 will count. *Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

*Everyone who completes all nine categories will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package. *Please post about the challenge on your blog. Sign ups accepted until Nov 30, 2012. *Please sign up using the Linky below. Give your name & blog (Example: Bev @ My Reader’s Block) and use a direct link to your challenge post as your url. Please don’t connect to just your home page. *Please use the Review Page to post review links and a final wrap-up post when you finish the challenge.

The Louvre,Paris:the elderly curator of the museum has been violently murdered in the Grand Gallery.Harvard professor Robert Langdon is summoned to decipher the baffling codes which the police find alongside the body.As he and a gifted french cryptologist,Sophie Neveau,sort throught the bizarre riddles,they are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci-and suggests the answer to an old-age mystery that stretches deep in the vault of history.Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle,a stunning historical truth will be lost forever……..

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.
While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

If u`ll visit the Goodreads site then u wont get a good response.But i truly liked it.But i liked The Digital Fortress more than this.But not comparing these two would be better as they are totally different.I loved the way they both reach the end of the mystery but i didnt find the ending to be so good.But overall its a must read novel.Just because of a few ups and downs i dont think u can waste Dan Brown`s intelligent efforts.So i`ll give it a 9/10.There are some pictures given below which u`ll read about in the novel.I searched for them on the net,hence u`ll find them here.

This picture depicts the place of the Holy Grail under the inverted pyramid.Refer to the very last chapter of Da Vinci Code.

Madonna of the Rocks-Leonardo Da Vinci.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci.

We also have a movie based on the same tile The Da Vinci Code.If u have any questions related to this u can always ask me.Mainly the questions would be related to the Holy Grail.Do tell me how u found this book and tell me ur views on the same.Happy reading to all the bookaholics. 🙂

An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother’s exercise in extreme parenting, revealing the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way.

All decent parents want to do what’s best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children’s individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua’s iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires.

This is Sophia,Amy and Lulu(from L-R)
Here are some things Amy Chua would never allow her daughters to do:

have a playdate

be in a school play

complain about not being in a school play

not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama

play any instrument other than the piano or violin

not play the piano or violin.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting- and the lessons parents and children everywhere teach one another.

Okay so the mother is way too hard for the girls in their upbringing.But i like this book.Actually i haven`t experienced any of the Chinese parents yet so i don`t know whether all of them are hard or just some.But i am saved as my mother is not that way.She scolds me but not shouts at me and stuff like that.So parents are different,some are easy some are tough,and some are very very very tough like Amy Chua.I`ll rate it a 9/10.But would not like if anyone gets a scolding like this even if its for the best.Are your parents especially ur mother like Amy? Do comment on it.Visit this link http://amychua.com.Happy reading to all the bookaholics. 🙂

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

I read this when i was in class 8.We were supposed to read this in our summer vacations.3 years later today i have again ordered this book.I am truly very small in rating this book as its not something for pleasure.It`s the bitter truth of past and how people suffered so much.This was actually not supposed to be a diary but Anne Frank`s father,a survivor of the war published this.Its an amazing diary of a little girl who died at a young age of 15.How jews were treated so badly.

This book is not just meant for reading but understanding as well.Jews are equal as all of us.Hence we should give them equal respect and love.Discrimination on these basis should be eradicated from the roots so that the world doesn`t has to face such kind of a horrendous past.See below the real pictures of Anne Frank`s memory….

So do read this book,its excellent.I`ll rate it a 10/10 because i simply loved it.Do tell me your views on this.Happy reading to all the bookaholics……. 🙂

Its a short review but it definitely explains all.First there were ten: a group of strangers invited to a private island, cut off from the rest of the world(which is quite scary), who have nothing in common – except a murderous past. Then there were none: one by one, an unknown person is killing them off(i really got confused with the end). They’re the only people on the island, so they must assume the murderer is one of them, and only the dead are above suspicion. Or are they? Agatha Christie’s chilling, thrilling mystery novel, And Then There Were None, will leave readers on the edge of their seats, turning the pages for more.

According to the survey,this is one of the best novels written by Agatha Christie,the queen of crime novels.I loved this novel as there were minimum characters and you could always be clear with them.But i didn`t understand the end,maybe i was not concentrated enough to notice who the murderer was,but yes when i read it again i understood that.Its a must read novel for all who love crime and thriller novels.

I`ll rate it a 9.5/10 as it kept me entertained and thrilled me till the end.Do read it and tell me how you found this book.According to me its a fantabulous book.So happy reading to all the bookaholics. 🙂

Rick Braithwaite is a young black man, born in South America, who just got out of the Air Force. Now in Britain, Braithwaite is looking for a career, mainly to pay for food, but things do not work out as planned. He comes to know the malady of prejudice very well, as he is turned down from job after job. Braithwaite describes feeling “caught like an insect in the tweezers grip of prejudice.” Teaching becomes the therapy to set him free. When Mr. Braithwaite took the job as a teacher, he did not expect his students to be barbaric savages. Braithwaite has a hard time as he counters the cynicism of his impressionable students and, now and then, that of his colleagues also. The difficulties he faces, in getting students to focus on aspirations in the future rather than the upcoming weekend are painfully true. The need for inventive and genuine approaches to these educational challenges is abundantly clear. Gradually, he wins over the minds of his students as he tries to wipe clean their minds of prejudices. With hard work and dedication, he turns this class of delinquents into a class of young men and women with class. The whole time, Mr. Braithwaite realizes that it is not his skin color that is holding him back, but his attitude. He reflects that, “At first it was terrible, but gradually I’m learning what it means to live with dignity inside my black skin.”

This book was again recommended by our school so we had to read it.But let me tell you,its an awesome read and u`ll all love it.The theme and background of this book is completely different from the other books i`ve read,so i really enjoyed it.The lesson from this story we get is that all people in this world are equal.We should not discriminate people on the basis on color or any other ideological background.Hence with this good thought in mind,i definitely recommend this book to all.I`ll rate it a 10/10 for how Rick found his way through the people whom he loved and who hated it and criticised him.Its by E.R Braithwaite.We also have a movie based on it,so you can even watch that.

Do read it and tell me your reviews.This is a question for all-Do u believe in racial discrimination? or have u ever witnessed any such thing? If yes do tell the reasons.Happy reading to all the bookaholics. 🙂